Music connects asylum seekers and Dutch musicians

In the Netherlands, bands De Niemanders and Orchestre Partout regularly hold jam sessions with asylum seekers in reception centres (azc’s).

These sessions create new music, blending sounds from around the world, and offer participants a creative outlet and a sense of community. Balvina Muñoz, a Venezuelan singer fleeing Maduro’s regime, finds music essential to her wellbeing and uses the sessions to regain confidence after performing became dangerous in her home country.

De Niemanders, who have played at festivals like Down The Rabbit Hole, are recording an album with asylum seekers, and their approach extends beyond musical collaboration to include a newspaper staffed by residents of the azc’s and journalistic talent. Orchestre Partout, active for fourteen years, now operates in eight centres and performs in jazz and classical venues, collaborating with established Dutch musicians like Eric Vloeimans.

Ted van Leeuwen, founder of Orchestre Partout, notes the project focuses on universal themes like joy, sorrow, and love, avoiding politics while acknowledging music’s power as a force for freedom, especially for those escaping oppressive regimes. Musicians like Ray, an Iraqi doctor, and Asghar Barani, an Iranian percussionist, have found renewed opportunities to create music in the Netherlands, with Ray set to perform with the Cello Octet Amsterdam.